Witness and Testimony

The University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute is proud to present Witness and Testimony, an MA Thesis exhibition curated by recent graduate and co-owner of E&S Gallery, Cathy Shannon.The exhibition features the works of male and female black artists from the renowned to the rising, from the self-taught to the formally trained. 

Utilizing various mediums and techniques the exhibition explores the language of black artists as informed by the communities that nurtured and encouraged them. It also seeks to show that the circumstances that fueled the social justice protests of 2020 and caused contemporary artists to bear witness and give testimony to this time, are not new and have in fact been happening in the black communities since the end of slavery. Participating artists include Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Leroy Cambell, Woodrow Nash, Sherry Shine and Kevin A. Williams.  

Witness & Testimony seeks to present fresh voices and approaches that have not been featured in major exhibitions next to the work of those artists who have. The exhibit is concerned with how black artists give testimony to the humanity of black people, while providing a counter narrative to the negative portrayals perpetrated against blacks for centuries. A reception for Witness and Testimony will be held on Friday July 16 from 5-8pm at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts. This event is free and open to the public. For information on visiting hours please visit our website here.  For exhibition information please contact Cathy Shannon: 502.568.2005